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Well, dear readers, we have reached the final issue of It’s Geek To Me for 2022.  Just for the record, this is issue #805 of my humble little publication.  I never thought it would go on this long when I first approached Del Stone at the Northwest Florida Daily News with the idea for a new column.  I can still proudly say that I’ve never been paid a single dime for any of my columns, but I have gotten a free meal or two in conjunction with speaking engagements that have been a side-line of doing the column.  I’m still available for that kind of activity for your civic group or classroom.  You can contact me via the column’s website to get the ball rolling.  Meanwhile, I’d like to remind you that your questions, either via e-mail at ItsGeek2Me@gmail.com, or via the “Ask a Question” form on the column’s website, are the fuel that keeps the column chugging along.  Seems like I’m always riding the edge of running out of material to write about, so if you’re holding onto something, why not send it in?  As we draw the year to a close, I hope each and every one of you have (or had, depending on when you read this) a very Merry Christmas, and I wish you health, happiness and prosperity in 2023.  In other words, “Good luck, and happy computing!”

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Q: Your comments / opinions on disposable e-mail addresses.

Do they work? What to watch out for when selecting a service (are the various sites legitimate)? How to tell?

– Jim A.
Navarre, Florida

A: Well, Jim, that term, “disposable e-mail addresses” can be interpreted in multiple ways.  I think it’s important that we clarify the meaning for the rest of my readers, and then we can get on with some serious discussion.

At the most basic, so-called disposable e-mail addresses are e-mail addresses available for free from various providers.  These are disposable in the context that you have no money invested, so you can let them go at any time with nothing lost but the contents of the e-mails that may be built-up on the server.  At the other end of the spectrum, disposable e-mail addresses might be part of a larger, more complex mail service that “self-destructs” e-mail messages after a time, so you can put limits on how far e-mails can go, and how long they last.

Do they work?  Sure, they work.  Just ask any of the countless spammers that use them to foist their trash on the world.  One of the main reasons that spam is so hard to block is that one common technique used to send spam is to use a different disposable address for each batch of spam.  They send a few thousand, then scrap the address and move on.  This makes blocking the source address a futile effort, since the spammer will never again use that address.

Let’s talk about the more legitimate uses of disposable e-mail addresses – say for your personal e-mail account.  The prospect of changing e-mail addresses is very attractive if you receive a lot of junk mail.  It’s almost like moving and not leaving a forwarding address.  But consider that whenever you move to a new address, every person or business that has your e-mail address on file now needs to be informed of the change.  If your online life is anything like mine, that’s a monumental undertaking.  I have accounts on countless web shopping sites, financial institutions, medical practitioners, entertainment sites, and more, and nearly every last one of them are linked to my personal e-mail address.  Changing that is a non-trivial activity, to put it mildly.

If you decide to get yourself a disposable address or two (for whatever your personal reason – I’m not judging) you need look no further than common sites like Gmail, or Yahoo!.  Now, although these are free, these are so-called “permanent” e-mail accounts, that don’t necessarily meet the criteria of “disposable”.  A true disposable e-mail account is one you can sign-up for without providing any personal information, so there’s nothing to be linked back to you.  For more information on these types of services, as well as those recommendations you’re looking for on some of the best services, check out TinyURL.com/IGTM-0805 for a helpful article on disposable e-mail addresses.